The Lady Doctor from Boston
by MightyMiaBoo
Summary: A 3rd-person account, told from Sully's point-of-view, of his first meeting and subsequent interactions with Michaela during the Pilot episode of the series. 4 chapters.
1. Chapter 1: At First Sight

**_Disclaimer_: **_I do not own the characters from "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman," or any dialogue from the script for the episode that I've incorporated into my story. The rights to those characters, the script and to the show belong to the creators of the show, to CBS, The Sullivan Company and to A&E._

******THE LADY DOCTOR FROM BOSTON**

By: Mia

**Chapter 1: At First Sight**

_He'd never forget the moment he first saw her_. Byron Sully, Colorado Springs' resident "mountain man" and friend of the Cheyenne Indians, was standing between Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle and Colonel Chivington, serving as a translator as they tried to negotiate a treaty for the Indian land north of Sand Creek. During the treaty talks, Black Kettle, along with a small group of tribal elders, had set up a temporary camp in the meadow outside the town's one and only chapel. It was there that the negotiations had been taking place, and so far, progress had not been promising. The Chief wanted nothing but peace among his people, the U.S. army, and the U.S. government. But it had been clear to Sully from the beginning that Chivington had had his own agenda. In the Colonel's eyes, these so-called treaty negotiations were nothing more than a stepping stone in his quest to fulfill his political aspirations, and he didn't care who was hurt in the process, least of all the Cheyenne. Indeed, the discussions between the two leaders were just getting somewhat heated when Sully spotted something -- or rather, _someone_ -- out of the corner of his eye. Little did he know that that "someone" would change his life forever.

_He'd never forget the moment he first saw her_. Like the dawn sun breaking through the surrounding darkness of the previous night, she came into view. She was walking from the chapel, her stride brisk and confident, accompanied by a flabbergasted Reverend Johnson. She spared the treaty-negotiators a brief glance, and then turned and spoke to the Reverend, presumably to ask him who they were and what they were doing. She was quite far away and she had on one of those stylish hats that the "big city ladies" wore in Denver and the like, so Sully didn't get a close look at her. But he saw enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Even from a distance, her face was striking, her skin like porcelain. Her profile was almost regal, like those in the pretty cameo necklaces that men often gave women as gifts.

In her hand, she tightly held what appeared to be medical bag, resembling the ones army doctors carried when they attended to the wounded. Word around town was that the Reverend had posted ads in several newspapers back East, seeking a badly needed frontier doctor to tend to the townsfolk's health. Sully wondered whether this peculiar lady could possibly be _that_ doctor. He quickly dismissed the thought. She certainly looked wealthy and educated enough to be a doctor, but, as far as he knew, among Whites, only men were allowed to practice medicine. And besides, he didn't think that such a well-bred, classy lady would be caught dead in an old one-horse town like Colorado Springs. Surely, she was just passing through on her way to someplace much more interesting, like Virginia City or San Francisco.

The sight of this intriguing woman threw Sully so much that he momentarily lost his train of thought. Giving himself a mental shake, he tried to re-focus his attention on the conversation between Chief Black Kettle and Chivington. Just when he'd collected himself, he heard a small commotion over near the bridge, and he looked up just in time to see the woman fall facedown in the mud with a startled "Oompf!" Everyone around -- including the Chief and Chivington -- momentarily stopped what they were doing to see who had fallen prey to the deep sludge caused by unseasonably heavy rains. You could have heard a pin drop as they all paused to observe how this seemingly fragile victim would react to her embarrassing spill.

In the blink of an eye, though, she was on her feet, having brushed off the Reverend's offer to help her up. Surprisingly, she uttered nary a whimper nor a complaint, although her expensive dress was now covered in mud, and ruined. Rather, with a proud tilt of her chin, she dusted herself off, grabbed her bag, and continued following the Reverend as if nothing had happened.

Now, Sully was _really_ fascinated. He quickly turned his attention back to the meeting between Chief Black Kettle and Chivington, but not before making a mental note to find out more about this unusual woman.

-----------------------

When the negotiations between the Indians and the army had ended for the day (or, in Sully's opinion, reached another impasse), he headed into town to send yet another telegram to the Office of Indian Affairs in Washington to protest against the unfair treatment of the Cheyenne. To be quite honest, it was a task that could easily have waited until tomorrow (when he had other business to take care of in town), but he just had to satisfy his nagging curiosity about the beautiful stranger he'd seen earlier in the meadow.

On his way back from the Telegraph Office, Sully walked by Jake Slicker's barbershop, which also served as the town's grapevine. Nothing worth knowing ever happened in the neighborhood without being discussed at Jake's. (And women were supposedly the ones who liked to gossip!) Sure enough, Sully overheard the Reverend and Jake talking about the mix-up that had brought the "Lady Doctor," as they called her, to Colorado Springs. The Reverend revealed that her name was Michaela Quinn, she was from Boston, and she claimed to have graduated from some women's medical college in Pennsylvania. More important than all that, he noted somewhat suspiciously, was the fact that she was, from all appearances, unmarried. When she'd sent a telegram from Boston in response to the Reverend's ad for the doctor position, Horace, the telegraph operator, had thought it was from a "Michael A. Quinn" instead of Michaela Quinn. And the rest, as the saying went, was history.

Jake, who was also the town's would-be "doctor," was clearly none too pleased about facing competition from a legitimate physician.

"A woman doctor!" he scoffed. "I ain't never heard a bigger bunch o' malarkey in all my days! Ev'rybody knows women can't be doctors." The barbershop patrons all murmured in agreement.

"Well, seems like she's got no intention of leavin' anytime soon," replied the Reverend. "She's holed-up at Charlotte Cooper's boarding house for the next few days. With any luck, by then, she'll be fed-up of frontier livin' and head back to Boston."

"Hmpf. That Charlotte, always startin' trouble! Next thing ya know, she's gonna be trynna to convince that crazy woman to stay!" Jake grumbled.

Hearing the resulting shocked gasps from the small, all-male crowd, Jake backtracked a bit on his dire prediction. "Well, maybe you're right, Reverend. When she figures out that there's no servants here to cater to her every whim, she'll be running back to Boston faster than you can say 'Jack Robinson'."

The group laughed hopefully, and moved onto the day's other topics of interest.

Having gotten the information he'd come to town for, Sully continued on his way and headed to the lean-to in the woods that he called home.

He was pretty tuckered-out from standing in the sun for hours and listening to the frustratingly one-sided negotiations between Black Kettle and Chivington. But, to his surprise, sleep didn't come easily to him. His mind kept wandering to the mysterious Lady Doctor from Boston. He kept telling himself that she was none of his concern. Like Jake had said, she'd probably run back home in no time flat.

Yet, Sully couldn't help thinking that this proud, determined woman might be made of tougher stuff than the men of Colorado Springs suspected. Well, he guessed time would tell, he drowsily thought as he finally let exhaustion claim him and pull him into slumber.

----------------------------

The following day, the treaty talks ended well before noon, as both sides had other pressing matters to attend to before sundown. Sully had promised to accompany Chief Black Kettle to Loren Bray's Mercantile to pick up some supplies for the small group of Cheyenne elders staying in the camp near the church.

When Sully and his faithful canine companion, Wolf, entered the general store with Black Kettle, who should they see but Dr. Quinn and Charlotte, looking thick as thieves? It seemed as though Loren was arguing with them about posting something on his notice board. Initially, Sully was so taken aback by the sight of the ladies (and the lady from Boston, in particular) that he didn't even notice that Chivington and a couple of his men were also in the store. One of the soldiers loudly cleared his throat, and muttered, "What the hell's _he_ doin' in here?" clearly referring to Black Kettle.

As if to clarify, Loren pointed to a sign at the top of the notice board, which read "No Dogs or Indians." Before Sully had a chance to react to the disgusting notice, the Lady Doctor unhesitatingly removed it from the board and turned valiantly to the shopkeeper. Back straight as an arrow, she looked him dead in the eye and said, "Here's one that's seen its day, Mr. Bray."

"Ah, an Abolitionist," Sully thought. He'd heard of a group of educated white folks in and around New England who'd championed the cause of doing away with slavery and freeing the slaves. They'd called themselves "Abolitionists," and believed that all men were created equal and should be treated equally, regardless of skin color. With her fancy Boston dress and accent, the Lady Doctor certainly fit the descriptions that he'd read in the occasional newspaper that had floated through Colorado Springs back then. Apparently, her egalitarian beliefs also extended to Indians, which only served to further impress Sully. There was definitely more to Dr. Michaela Quinn than met the eye.

As Chivington stepped menacingly towards her, Sully reached for his tomahawk. He scarcely knew this woman, but already, he instinctively knew that he'd do just about anything to protect her. The Colonel grabbed the sign from her and put it back where it had been on the notice board. That small, but offensive, action brought Sully's frustrations about the past days' failed negotiations and the unfair treatment of his Cheyenne friends boiling to the surface, and he threw the tomahawk right into the middle of the wooden notice, splitting it in two. Both halves fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

The ladies gasped and jumped back in shock, and Chivington drew his pistol. For a second, it seemed as though Sully's visceral reaction might cause more bloodshed and set treaty negotiations back to square one. But the Colonel, apparently thinking better of it, re-holstered his weapon and pushed past Sully and Black Kettle as he and his men stormed out of the store. Sully had no doubt that the results would've been much different if Black Kettle had entered the store alone and thrown that tomahawk. Chivington would certainly have had no qualms about killing an Indian. But, despite the fact that Sully considered the Cheyenne to be his family, he was still, in the Colonel's eyes, a white man. And it wouldn't have looked right for Chivington to kill a white man (albeit an "Injun-lover," as they called Sully) who hadn't threatened him directly, especially in front of two of the town's ladies. Sully imagined that that type of outcome wouldn't have been good for the Colonel's political agenda.

Sully strode past the ladies and retrieved his tomahawk, which was still stuck in the notice board. Without so much as a flinch, Dr. Quinn reached up and pinned her notice to the now-empty spot the board. Then, she turned to face him, _and time seemed to stand still_. They were so close to each other that Sully could have reached out and touched her, if he'd dared to. Up close, she was even more beautiful than she'd been at a distance, when he'd first laid eyes on her in the meadow yesterday. For the first time, he noticed that her eyes were two different colors: one, green and the other, hazel. In his opinion, it was a quirk that suited her; yet another thing that made her strikingly unique. Her skin was smooth and slightly flushed from the excitement of the last few minutes; and, for an instant, he wondered what it would be like to touch her cheek, to see whether it was as petal-soft as it looked.

Sully was so transfixed by the gorgeous Lady Doctor that he didn't realize that he'd been staring at her for much longer than was polite. But the funny thing was that she was doing exactly the same thing. She looked him straight in the eyes; never wavering, never shifting her gaze. Again, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Right then, he knew that this woman would have a profound effect on his life. He had no idea what that effect might be, but he knew for certain that he needed to see, and would be seeing, a lot more of Dr. Quinn in the future.

Sensing the intensity of the look that passed between Sully and her new friend, Charlotte stepped in and broke the spell. Grasping the doctor protectively by the arm, Charlotte stammered: "It's time to go get your horse, Doc."

"What horse?" Dr. Quinn responded, as she tore her gaze from Sully's. It was clear that she'd been as affected as he had by their meaningful look, and the thought gave him some measure of satisfaction.

"The one you gotta make your rounds on to meet your patients," Charlotte reminded her.

"Oh, _that_ horse," the Lady Doctor replied, obviously embarrassed by her absentmindedness. As if suddenly remembering that she actually _was_ a doctor, she scooted back toward the notice board to retrieve her medical bag, which she'd dropped when Sully had startled her earlier with his tomahawk-throwing.

With a somewhat frazzled, "Good morning, gentlemen," she allowed Charlotte to lead her away from the store. They were headed towards the town's Livery, which was owned by Robert E., a former slave who was now the local blacksmith, horse-salesman and all-around repairman.

Now that her back was to him, Sully could look his fill of Dr. Quinn's shapely figure without seeming rude. Taking full advantage of that fact, he followed her with his eyes until she and Charlotte were out of sight.

When he turned back into the store, Sully caught the knowing glance that Chief Black Kettle was giving him. It was plain as day from the look on the Chief's face that he thought he'd seen something between the doctor and the mountain man.

"Well, let him believe whatever he wants," Sully thought, petulantly. Just because people thought something was true didn't mean that it actually was.

His curiosity drew him to the ad that the Lady Doctor had left on Mr. Bray's notice board a few minutes ago. Apparently, she was looking for permanent lodgings that were also suitable for a medical office. So, it seemed as though Dr. Quinn planned to be in town for quite awhile, after all. Based on her recent display of courage in the Mercantile, she didn't seem like the type that would quit and run back to Boston quite so hastily.

To be honest, the fact that he was so pleased by her plans to stay in Colorado Springs, scared Sully a little. He reminded himself that it shouldn't matter to him whether she stayed or moved on. After all, they barely knew each other.

Just then, an idea took hold in Sully's mind before he could squelch it: He owned a nearby homestead that had been sitting unkempt and unlived-in for almost two years. He'd abandoned it when his late wife, Abigail, had died in childbirth, and his newborn baby girl, Hannah, along with her. He'd run away in haste, leaving everything exactly where it had been when they died. He hadn't even bothered to wash the dishes from their last meal together. There were so many memories in that house that he could never live there again. Besides, he was happy sleeping in the woods, and he practically lived with the Cheyenne, anyway. But perhaps Dr. Quinn might have some use for it ...

Sully almost dropped the idea. The last time he'd walked by his old homestead, the place had practically been falling apart. And he was sure that it was absolutely filthy inside, covered in years of dust and grime. There was no way that the elegant Lady Doctor could possibly live in a place like that. But, then again, she'd brushed that sticky mud off her dress yesterday without so much as a shudder. He'd learned better than to underestimate her.

"But what about Abigail?" asked the niggling voice of doubt in his head. Would he be betraying Abby's memory by allowing Dr. Quinn to rent the homestead?

That concern was even more ridiculous than the last, he reassured himself. It wasn't like he was planning to move in there with the woman. They hardly knew each other, for crying out loud! He'd be her landlord, and she'd be his tenant, and that was all. That is, if she accepted his offer ...

Sully's mind was made up. He told Chief Black Kettle that they'd come back to the Mercantile tomorrow to buy the supplies, and that he'd meet the Chief later back at the camp. Black Kettle cast another knowing look; this time, in the direction of the Livery. But he wisely said nothing as he took his leave of Sully, and ambled in the direction of the meadow.

Before he could second-guess himself any further, Sully grabbed the doctor's ad from the board and left Mr. Bray's, headed towards Robert E.'s blacksmith stand.

[END OF CHAPTER 1. CONTINUE TO CHAPTER 2.]


	2. Chapter 2: Settling In

**The Lady Doctor from Boston**

**Chapter 2: Settling In**

Putting on what he hoped was an air of nonchalance, Sully casually sauntered towards the Livery. He tried to suppress a laugh as he saw the Lady Doctor struggling to control a horse that she'd apparently just bought from Robert E., named "Bear." Even to Sully's untrained eye, it looked like she'd managed to pick the oldest and slowest animal of the bunch.

"City folk," he thought, with a wry smile.

He couldn't tell whether she was more afraid of the horse, or it of her. She finally managed to get her foot in the stirrup and, with Charlotte's assistance, was trying in vain to mount Bear using her legs, which seemed to be sadly lacking any kind of strength.

Without thinking, Sully reached forward, grabbed her behind the hips, and hoisted her onto the horse. She landed in the saddle with an ungraceful thud and a shocked gasp. It was only after the task had been accomplished that he considered the consequences of his rash actions; as he tried not to think about how wonderful her rear-end had felt in his hands, even through multiple layers of skirts and petticoats. He half-expected her to haul off and slap him in a fit of righteous indignation. But, to his relief, she just looked embarrassed by her own clumsiness and inability to ride a horse. (Little did she know that he didn't ride either, due to his longstanding fear of horses!)

Sully removed the doctor's Wanted Ad from its temporary perch between his teeth, and handed it to her.

"You took it down," she observed.

For a moment, he was tempted to let her believe that, so he could back out of his harebrained idea to have her rent his homestead. But then again, taking the ad down for no purpose at all would have just made him seem downright crazy. For some reason that he wasn't much inclined to think about at the time, it was important to him for this woman to feel like she could trust him.

So, instead, he replied, "No, I'm answerin' it."

That prompted a raised eyebrow from Charlotte. But the Widow Cooper and Sully went way back, and she knew he'd never do anything to hurt the Lady Doctor. Charlotte had been one of the few people in the town who'd supported his marriage to Abigail against her father Loren's objections. And she'd thought it was wrong of Loren to blame him for Abby and Hannah's deaths.

Apparently deciding that her new friend would be in good hands, Charlotte said, "I gotta get back and start fixin' dinner. Sully, why don't ya take the Doc here over to look at your homestead; to see if she likes it? I'll see ya later at dinner, Doc."

With a reassuring smile to Dr. Quinn and a wave to them both, she turned and headed back to the boarding house.

Sully expected the doctor to turn Charlotte's suggestion down cold. After all, he was sure he looked to her like some half-wild "savage" who'd pounce on her the first chance he got. But it seemed as though the Widow Cooper's "seal of approval" had convinced the Lady Doctor that she was safe with him.

"Shall we?" she asked.

Sully was pretty sure Dr. Quinn expected him to ride with her on his own horse, but instead, he grasped Bear by the reins and exited the Livery. If she was surprised by his decision to walk, she didn't show it. With a quick goodbye to Robert E., they set off -- her, on horseback and him, on foot -- in the direction of the homestead.

-----------------------------

It took them close to an hour to get to their destination, as Bear wasn't the fastest horse, and Sully felt no need to hurry. Conversation was kept to a minimum during their trip out to the homestead; the silence broken only when he pointed out the occasional fork in the road or other useful landmark. Dr. Quinn seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, and he was never much one for smalltalk, anyway. In any case, it seemed like whenever he looked at her, he couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. The last time Sully remembered being this tongue-tied was when he'd been a young whelp of ten or eleven, nursing his first childhood crush.

At last, his deserted homestead came into view, and they stopped a little way off so that Dr. Quinn could get a good look at the whole property. Frankly, it looked much worse than he recalled it appearing the last time he'd walked by. Some of the sideboards had come loose, and the barn door hung off its hinges. The yard, and even some parts of the house, were overrun with weeds and stray tree branches.

Sully was pretty certain that the doctor would turn right around and head back to town as quickly as Bear could carry her. But, to his amazement, she remained still and surveyed the property. A look of disbelief -- and a bit of fear -- flitted across her face, as if she were wondering what she'd gotten herself into. But she instantly schooled her features into a calm appearance, and proceeded to dismount the horse. Or, more accurately_, tried_ to dismount. She misjudged the distance between the saddle and the ground; and to make matters worse, on her way down, her foot got caught in the stirrup, causing her to fall onto the hard earth beneath her with an awkward thump. Wolf immediately rushed to her side, with a sympathetic whimper.

Reflexively, Sully turned around to help her up, but then, he stopped himself. When he'd helped her get onto Bear back at the Livery, touching her had had such an effect on him that, honestly, he was a bit afraid to touch her again. But still, as she looked up at him expectantly, he was a bit ashamed of his ungentlemanly behavior. Feeling the need to offer her some explanation, he tried to come up with a plausible excuse for leaving her lying there in the dust.

"Well, if you're gonna survive, you better learn to make it on your own," Sully offered. An utterly feeble justification, if he'd ever heard one.

But the plucky Dr. Quinn wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing that his indifference had hurt her.

"Precisely," she muttered defiantly. With that, she got up, dusted herself off, and rushed to bring an uncooperative Bear (who'd wandered off) back to the homestead. You had to admire her willpower.

Once the horse was all tied up, the doctor resolutely marched up the stairs to the small front porch. Without a hint of uncertainty, she looked right at her future landlord and asked, "How much?"

Truth be told, Sully hadn't even thought about how much he'd lease the place for. Deep down, he knew his offer to rent the homestead to Dr. Quinn had never been about money, even though a little extra every month wouldn't be unwelcome.

"A dollar a month?" he proposed. The property would probably be worth ten-times that in rent once it was fixed up; but right then, Sully didn't much care. Besides, if the doctor was willing to take the time to clean this filthy place up, he figured she deserved a discount.

She opened the rickety front door, and peered tentatively inside. The interior was even worse than he'd suspected; everything was caked in dust and cobwebs.

Yet, the Lady Doctor was not to be deterred. With a determined set to her chin, she replied, "I'll take it."

They had a deal. After fumbling around in her medical bag for a few moments, she produced a small metal and wooden object that Sully soon identified as a doctor's shingle. "M. Quinn, M.D.," it read.

"What do you think?" she asked. The late afternoon sun bathed her features in a warm glow, making her look like a fairy-tale heroine from one of those children's storybooks.

Such a small shingle didn't seem befitting of a woman with such a big heart and spirit. Unwilling to admit as much to himself, much less her, Sully merely muttered, "It's not much of a shingle."

He immediately regretted his sarcastic opinion when he saw the deflated look on Dr. Quinn's face. But it was too late to take the words back; and, what's more, he was a little annoyed at himself for caring so much about her feelings. Reminding himself that she was just his tenant, and a virtual stranger to boot, he walked away. He felt somewhat guilty for leaving her there all alone instead of taking her back to town, but he just needed to get away from his old homestead and all the memories it held, not to mention the Lady Doctor's disconcerting presence. So far, she'd proven to be quite a survivor, and he reassured himself that she'd figure out her way back to town, especially if she'd been listening earlier when he'd pointed out those landmarks and roads.

Without so much as a backward glance, Sully hastened into the forest, looking forward to spending some solitary time in his lean-to.

-------------------

Although he'd been around town more than usual for the treaty negotiations, Sully didn't cross paths with Dr. Quinn again until Sunday, when Charlotte took her to the town chapel for the weekly service. In hindsight, it was probably a good thing that he hadn't seen the doctor for a few days -- the woman confused him so much that he'd needed a little space to get his head together. He wasn't actually attending church himself, of course. Even though he considered himself a spiritual man, his affinity for Cheyenne customs and beliefs hadn't endeared him to the Colorado Springs congregation. So it had, in fact, been almost two years since he'd set foot in the "Lord's House," as the Reverend called it.

Rather, Sully was standing in the meadow outside the church, near the temporary Cheyenne outpost that had been set up for the Treaty Council. He was talking with Chief Black Kettle about the progress of the negotiations, when suddenly, he felt the air around him change. He glanced in the direction of the church, and sure enough, there was the Lady Doctor riding up to the chapel. She was dressed in her Boston "Sunday Best," which made her stand out from the ordinary townsfolk like a flame in a dark room. Truthfully, Sully couldn't have told you who else was there, as his eyes were fixed on the intriguing doctor. Perceiving Sully's distraction, the Chief followed the direction of his friend's gaze.

"Who is she?" Black Kettle asked in Cheyenne.

"A doctor ... medicine woman from back East," Sully answered in kind.

"Hmm," replied the Chief. "Medicine Women, like my wife, hold a special position of honor among the Cheyenne. But among Whites, women are not allowed to share their gifts of healing with others, as only men are allowed to make medicine. So this white woman is either extremely courageous or completely crazy," he commented, with an affable smirk.

As if sensing that they were discussing her, the Lady Doctor suddenly looked directly across the meadow at Black Kettle and Sully. Their eyes met, and Sully couldn't completely hide the sheepish look on his face at having been caught staring again. He quickly looked away, but not without catching another knowing look from the Chief. Once more, the Indian said nothing, but his point had been made. It was a point that Sully was far from ready to face. Seeking an escape, he decided that it was time for him to pay his weekly visit to Abigail's grave.

---------------------

Sully had no idea how long he'd sat by Abby's gravestone, thinking about her, Hannah, and oddly enough, about the Lady Doctor from Boston. Strange, that she would pop into his mind at such a time. But he brushed aside his misgivings over thinking about the doctor, not wanting to ponder things too much for fear of what he might discover about himself. He must have been at the cemetery for over an hour, because he was still sitting there, deep in thought, when he heard the sounds of the congregation emerging from the chapel.

He felt her presence, her eyes on him, even before he saw her. With her signature purposeful stride, Dr. Quinn was walking towards him in the cemetery. Not wanting her to witness his private grieving process over Abby and Hannah, he quickly got to his feet and met her halfway. From the look in her eyes, it was clear that she had something very specific on her mind.

"There are some things at the cabin that belong to you," she said in greeting.

"It's nuthin' I want," he grumbled. He wasn't prepared to divulge any more to her. Thankfully, she let it drop.

Not one to mince words, she got straight to her main point.

"What did Chief Black Kettle say to you when I rode up?"

"He wanted to know who you were."

"And what did you tell him?" she queried.

"I told him you were a medicine woman, 'come from the East. He said among Whites, only men make medicine, so you must be a _crazy_ white woman." Sully tried his best to sound unconcerned, but the upturned corners of his lips revealed his amusement.

He walked away before she had a chance to respond.

-----------------------

Sully didn't see the Lady Doctor for a couple of weeks after that, until the saddest of circumstances brought them together. Charlotte Cooper, one of his only allies in Colorado Springs, had unexpectedly died of a rattlesnake bite, leaving her three children in the custody of Dr. Quinn. He usually tried to stay clear of any type of "town meeting," but he had to make an exception for Charlotte's funeral because he'd considered her a friend. From his vantage point at the back of the small gathering, he saw the Cooper children standing numbly over their mother's coffin, with the doctor next to them. The lost look on her face tugged at his heartstrings, making him wonder for the umpteenth time why he cared so much. But he could relate to her feelings of pain, grief and confusion; he knew what it felt like when life decided to take its own course and leave you in the lurch.

The sudden loss suffered by Dr. Quinn and her new family made Sully feel even more protective toward them. They didn't know each other well enough for him to offer his help outright; and besides, she seemed like such an independent lady that she would probably have turned him down anyway. Instead, he tried to be there for them as much as possible, always at a safe distance and in the background, in case they needed anything. They didn't exchange words, and many times, he wasn't even sure they saw him or knew he was there. But he found a strange comfort in watching over them, making sure they were safe. Little did he know that the Lady Doctor would end up needing his help in the most surprising of situations ...

------------------------

Sully had been hanging around in town more than usual recently, despite the fact that treaty negotiations had ended -- fruitlessly, in his view -- and Chief Black Kettle and his contingent had returned to the Cheyenne village a few miles away. Even Sully had to admit to himself that there was no longer any apparent reason for him to be in the neighborhood, other than to keep an eye on the kids and Dr. Quinn, or "Dr. Mike," as they now called her. Brian, in his typical affectionate way, had taken to calling her that shortly after she'd arrived in Colorado Springs, and the endearment had soon caught on with his two siblings. Apparently, her late father (also a doctor), had given her the nickname "Mike" as a child, but adding "Dr." had solely been Brian's invention. The nickname fit her well, in Sully's view. It captured the warmth between her and the kids, but also her strength and determination as a pioneer woman doctor. He had to confess that he himself had begun to think of her as "Dr. Mike." Of course, he had yet to actually call her by that nickname, since they hadn't spoken in weeks. Until ...

One day, Sully was lingering near the outskirts of town when he saw Dr. Mike heading into Hank Lawson's Saloon, the local House of Disrepute. From the looks of things, one of Hank's girls had beckoned to her, and in her usual helpful fashion, the doctor hadn't been able to stay away. Sully had a sinking feeling that this was not going to end well, so he walked over and stood nearby, just to make sure. If nothing untoward happened, he could just slip away unnoticed, and Dr. Mike would never have a clue that he'd been there looking out for her. But he should have known that things couldn't possibly go smoothly in a place like Hank's.

After about half-an-hour, Sully overheard Dr. Mike's melodic voice as she addressed Hank on her way out, with some instructions about Myra, the saloon girl that she'd attended to. However, the doctor never made it to the exit, since Carl, one of the regular patrons, thought it would be more fun to entertain himself at her expense than to let her leave. To her credit, Dr. Mike did her best to hide her fear, looking him straight in the eye and demanding that he get out of her way. But, urged on by his equally-drunk counterparts, Carl moved threateningly towards her, intending to kiss her, and perhaps, do something more.

That was the last straw for Sully.

He stormed into the Saloon, grabbed Carl by the shoulders, and threw him through the front doors with more force than he ever knew he had in him. A couple of other guys decided to get involved, wanting to help their drinking-partner. The younger man threw a solid punch that hit Sully squarely in the jaw, splitting his lip and knocking him up onto the bar. Sully was able to right himself pretty quickly and fight them off with a few well-placed kicks and cuffs. Just when he went to take Dr. Mike's hand to lead her out of Hank's, he heard a loud "click" behind him, which signaled the cocking of a pistol. Carl had decided that he needed to save face by re-entering the Saloon and confronting Sully. Unfortunately for Carl, he was either too dumb or too drunk to sneak up on Sully, which would have given him an advantage. Instead, Carl stupidly announced his intentions.

"I ain't afraid of you, Mountain Man," he growled, brandishing his weapon.

The words were barely out of his mouth when Sully hurled his tomahawk straight at Carl's shooting hand, knocking his gun to the floor. The wannabe gunman yelped in pain and grabbed his injured wrist. Taking advantage of Carl's momentary distraction, Sully grasped Dr. Mike's hand and rushed her out of the Saloon. She made a beeline for her wagon, while he looked around behind him to make sure they weren't being followed.

The Cooper kids were already gathered around the wagon, having left Mr. Bray's Mercantile a few minutes before. Dr. Mike hustled them into the wagon, doing her best not to show them how terrified she was. As the wagon began to pull away, she reached out to Sully in a gesture of gratitude. He automatically reciprocated.

"Thank you," she said, looking gratefully at him as her hand grazed his.

When she touched him, it felt like a lightning bolt had shot up Sully's arm, making him too dumbfounded to answer her. Besides, there wasn't time; she and the children were already gone. It all happened so fast that, for a moment, he wondered whether the bar brawl had been a figment of his imagination. But his aching jaw and bloody lip served as reminders of just how real it had all been.

As Sully watched Dr. Mike's wagon disappear into the forest on the way to the homestead, he tried to ignore the tingling sensation where her fingers had brushed his. Pushing those bothersome thoughts aside, he turned and headed in the direction of the nearby Cheyenne village. He figured that Cloud Dancing, the Cheyenne medicine man who also happened to be his best friend, would have a remedy for his split lip, which had begun to swell into a painful, angry bruise on the lower half of his face.

Despite the warning voice in his head telling him to leave well enough alone, Sully had already decided to secretly check on the homestead later, after sundown, and to keep an eye on the place for a couple of hours, just in case Carl and his cohorts got any foolhardy ideas about repeating their earlier mischief.

-------------------------

Maybe it was the leftover excitement from his fight at the Saloon earlier, but that night, Sully was plagued by vivid dreams, all of them featuring Dr. Mike. Truthfully, he hadn't had dreams like that, or responded so strongly to them, since he'd been a teenage boy. Finally, when dawn began to break, he gave up all hope of sleeping in peace. Instead, he did what he'd always done in the past when he'd needed to let off some steam: He spent a few hours splitting logs. Unsure whether physical exertion alone would totally take care of his problem, he decided to throw in an ice-cold dip in the creek for good measure.

[END OF CHAPTER 2. CONTINUE TO CHAPTER 3.]


	3. Chapter 3: Lost & Found

**The Lady Doctor from Boston**

**Chapter 3: Lost & Found**

When he'd finished cooling himself off in the creek, Sully had headed over to the Cheyenne village to attend a naming ceremony for a baby boy that had been born recently to White Antelope and his young wife. After the ceremony and the hearty supper that followed, he was sitting in a tepee chatting with Black Kettle, Cloud Dancing and a couple of the other tribesmen, when suddenly, they heard a commotion outside. Before Sully could get up to investigate, the flap of the tepee opened and in walked Yellow Wolf, with Dr. Mike in tow. The brave threw her roughly to the ground. She looked scared and a bit disheveled, but, thankfully, otherwise unharmed. Her relief at seeing Sully was palpable; and for some strange reason, he was pleased that she considered him a friendly face.

"Please, tell them to let me go," she implored.

In Cheyenne, Sully asked Yellow Wolf how they'd come across her.

Sully translated the brave's answer: "He says you were lost; they brought you here for safekeepin'."

The strong-willed Dr. Mike bristled at the thought of being seen as weak and vulnerable, and defiantly replied, "I wasn't lost." Then, realizing that it was useless to deny the obvious, she conceded, "Well, maybe I was."

She continued on to explain that Brian had run away, having decided that he wanted to live with Sully and the tribe in the Cheyenne village.

"He thinks you live with them. You're his hero," she revealed to Sully.

He was pleasantly surprised that he'd made such an impression on Brian; but also a bit alarmed by the responsibility that came with being a young child's hero.

As Dr. Mike expressed her panic at the thought of Brian lost out there in the cold, dark forest at the mercy of wild animals, Sully couldn't help but be struck by how maternal she looked. He should have known that it wouldn't take long for a woman with a heart as big as hers to embrace motherhood. Before he could stop it, the image of her holding a baby -- _his_ baby -- popped into his head. He quickly shook the thought out of his mind, and focused on explaining her situation to Black Kettle and the other braves in their native tongue.

Black Kettle promised that his men would go looking for Brian at first light. When Sully conveyed this to Dr. Mike, her relief and appreciation were so evident that he got a sudden urge to hug her. It was an urge that he stifled, of course.

"Thank you," she said simply.

"Ha-ho," he translated for Black Kettle.

"A-ho," she said, trying her hand at Cheyenne.

Feeling the need to put some distance between himself and the Lady Doctor, Sully corrected her.

"_Ha-_ho," he repeated, doing his best to sound irritated.

Undaunted, Dr. Mike corrected herself.

"You're welcome," Black Kettle answered in Cheyenne, with a reassuring smile.

A meaningful look passed between Black Kettle and Cloud Dancing as they observed the little exchange between Sully and Dr. Mike, but they made no comment. Then, as if by some unspoken agreement, the Chief, Cloud Dancing, and the other braves all walked out of the tepee, leaving the doctor and the mountain man alone inside.

After a few minutes of loaded silence, Sully got up and stuck his head out of the tepee to see where Black Kettle and the others had gone. The Chief was standing in the middle of the village, surrounded by all the men of the tribe, explaining the plans to put a search party together to look for Brian in a few hours' time.

When Sully stepped back into the tepee, Dr. Mike looked at him questioningly.

"When do we leave?" she asked.

"You're not going; the women stay in camp," he replied, fully expecting her to protest. She didn't disappoint him.

"Not this woman," she retorted.

"Ya know, the Cheyenne believe that if a woman acts like a brave, she'll become one," he said, knowing that this was unlikely to sway the stubborn Lady Doctor.

True to form, she persisted. "I'll risk it."

Sully conceded defeat -- there was no way he was going to convince Dr. Mike to stay put while they went out looking for Brian. But at least he could make sure that she had enough energy for the task. He was pretty sure that she'd had nothing to eat all day, having left the homestead in the early morning after discovering that Brian was missing. So, he handed her an ear of corn that had been roasting on the campfire inside the tepee.

After initially refusing, she ended up accepting the small bit of food when he threatened to exclude her from the search party if she didn't eat.

As she bit into the corn, she got a faraway look in her eyes, like she was remembering something way back in her past.

"The last time I ate corn, I was sitting on the banks of the River Charles."

"Where's that?" Sully asked, although he'd already figured that it must be in Boston.

"Home," she replied, confirming his hunch. "You ever get homesick, Mr. Sully?" she inquired. Her question opened a Pandora's Box that he wasn't ready to deal with.

"Nope," he answered in a tone that discouraged any further probing.

Sensing his discomfort, Dr. Mike changed the subject.

"Do you think he'll be alright out there all on his own?" she queried worriedly about Brian. She was clearly seeking some reassurance.

The weather was mild this time of year, even at night, so Sully was fairly certain that the little boy wouldn't fall victim to the cold. But wild animals and the treacherous terrain were another story.

Wanting to calm her without giving her false hope, Sully tried to be as non-committal as possible. "There's no way of really knowin'," he responded, somewhat evasively.

"I let Charlotte down!" Dr. Mike exclaimed, with a defeated slump of her shoulders. Her eyes began to shimmer with unshed tears. Sully wanted so badly to console her, to wrap his arms around her and let her cry on his shoulder. But he didn't feel it was his place, since they were still practically strangers. In any case, she wore her independence like a such a suit of armor that she'd probably never let her guard down long enough to allow him to offer her the comfort she so clearly needed. Anyway, he knew the only thing that would truly set her mind at ease would be finding Brian safe and sound.

"No ya didn't; ya did your best," he countered. "Sometimes life just has a way of takin' its own course." He was well acquainted with the pain that often resulted when life decided to take an unexpected turn.

Sully's words hung in the air between them for a minute. Then he decided that they'd better get some sleep, otherwise they'd be no good to Brian tomorrow. He took off his knife holster and stuck his dagger in the ground beside his bedroll. He'd begun to fashion the blanket that doubled as his overcoat into a pillow for his head, when he looked over at Dr. Mike. She was just sitting there, hunched over and silent; and although the tepee was warm from the fire, she seemed chilled to the bone. It pained him to see her looking so broken, hopeless, and alone. For now, he was powerless to restore her spirit, but at least he could help her feel less alone and warm her up a bit.

Sully unfolded his blanket and gently wrapped it around her. When he touched her shoulders, she felt so perfect under his hands that he couldn't help but linger a little longer than necessary. Her hair smelled like roses and he took a deep breath, trying to absorb as much of her intoxicating scent as possible. He suddenly wanted to hold her so badly it almost hurt. He could tell that Dr. Mike felt it too; the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. It crackled and burned between them, just like the fire inside the tepee. Again, the hairs at the back of his neck stood up, sending him a message that his mind wasn't yet ready to acknowledge.

Her shoulders tensed a bit, and Sully feared that he'd made her uncomfortable. Goodness knows she was shaken-up enough as it was over Brian's disappearance; the last thing she needed was to feel like he was taking advantage of the situation. So, against every male instinct within him, he pulled away and returned to his bedroll. With an exhausted sigh, Dr. Mike pulled the blanket tightly around her and slid to the ground.

Sully lay there, willing himself to fall asleep, but he'd honestly never felt more awake or alive than he did at that very moment. His palms tingled where they'd rested on Dr. Mike's shoulders, and his body hummed with the unfulfilled need to take her in his arms and stroke away her pain and panic. He tried to close his eyes, but they kept drifting back to her. A couple of times, he caught her returning his gaze, and they both looked away guiltily.

He sternly reminded himself that he'd be useless to Brian come sun-up if he didn't get some rest. That finally did the trick, and he eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep.

------------------------

Luckily, it didn't take too long to find Brian the next day. In his urgent quest to find the Cheyenne village, he'd dropped his scarf in the woods a few miles from the homestead. Wolf was able to get a scent from the scarf, and led Sully and Dr. Mike up the side of a steep cliff, where they spotted Brian lying at the bottom of a deep crevice between two jagged precipices. His injuries had rendered him immobile, but, fortunately, he didn't appear to have hit his head, since he was conscious. Sully immediately scuttled down the rocks towards the frightened child. Brian grasped Sully around the neck as he climbed back up the side of the crag; and soon, the terrified boy was in the waiting arms of an extremely relieved Dr. Mike. Brian's fall down the cliff had left him with a broken leg. He bravely endured the pain as Dr. Mike reset the bones and splinted the limb with some tree branches that Sully had found nearby.

Sully carried Brian's virtually weightless little body in his arms as they made their way back down the hillside to get Dr. Mike's horse. Once they got to the bottom, they met up with Cloud Dancing and the rest of the Cheyenne search party. Just as they were about to head back to the homestead, they heard the sound of thundering hooves vibrating through the earth beneath them. They looked up to see Colonel Chivington and his troops on the embankment at the other side of the meadow, in full attack formation. Recognizing the army's intent, the Cheyenne braves rode away from their white companions and adopted an aggressive posture directly facing the troops, indicating their readiness to fight, if necessary. Sully hurried Dr. Mike and Brian to a safe spot out of the line of fire, doing his best to shield them with his body; and they watched in horror as the Colonel ordered his forces to charge.

Out of the blue, Dr. Mike wrenched herself from Sully's grasp and ran directly into the path of Chivington's troops. She was waving her arms and begging them to stop. Sully couldn't believe what he was seeing ... maybe she really was a "crazy white woman," as he'd told her several weeks ago! His protective instincts swiftly kicked in and, after laying Brian securely on the grass, he ran to join the doctor.

Frustrated, Chivington ordered his troops to halt their attack, and Dr. Mike explained to him why such a large group of Cheyenne braves was off the reservation.

"This is a search party sir. My boy was lost and these people tried to help me find him," she said, her voice unwavering.

Without hesitation, she accepted responsibility for the fact that the tribesmen had left the reservation in a number greater than two, which was against the restrictive laws at the time. Here again, the fascinating Lady Doctor was defending people that she barely knew; people that most Whites had been taught to be afraid of. She could easily have stood aside and let the army have their way with Sully's Cheyenne friends. But this spirited, fearless woman could never have sat idly by while such an injustice unfolded before her eyes. Her courage impressed Sully, even as it astounded him.

With an aggravated sigh of resignation, the Colonel ordered his troops to fall back. The Cheyenne search party bid Dr. Mike, Sully and Brian farewell and gestured their thanks as they turned to ride back to their village.

An anxious Matthew quickly came riding up, and they assured him they'd found his brother alive and well.

"You sure told 'em, Dr. Mike," Brian intoned admiringly. Although he'd never say so, Sully couldn't help but agree. This petite, ladylike woman from Boston had shown more bravery than most strapping, grown men he'd known in his lifetime.

That thought stayed with him long after he'd seen the doctor and her boys back to the homestead, and returned to his lean-to in the woods.

[END OF CHAPTER 3. CONTINUE TO CHAPTER 4.]


	4. Chapter 4: Medicine Woman

**The Lady Doctor from Boston**

**Chapter 4: Medicine Woman**

As Fall had rolled into Winter, Sully had gone deep into the woods to check his traps; a task that had, as usual, taken him away from Colorado Springs' main thoroughfare for several weeks. So it was quite awhile before he saw Dr. Mike and the kids again. As it turned out, he and the doctor hadn't even needed to meet in person for her to pay him the monthly rent for the homestead: She'd taken to leaving the money in an envelope at the Telegraph Office, so he could pick it up when he stopped by to get his mail or send a telegram. They'd never actually discussed this payment arrangement; but Sully tended to come and go as he pleased, and he was often so hard to find that she'd probably guessed that this was the best way to make sure she got him the rent on time. And besides, Horace could be trusted to keep the money secure for as long as it took Sully to come by and get it. Horace seemed to take his job pretty seriously, and he was always sure to let Sully know if he had something waiting for him at the Telegraph Office whenever they bumped into each other around town. At any rate, it wouldn't have mattered to Sully in the least if Dr. Mike hadn't paid him a penny of the rent. It wasn't the money he needed. Rather, what he'd come to depend on was the odd consolation he got from knowing that she and the kids were safe in his homestead, where he could easily find them if they needed him.

When Sully got back from his latest trapping expedition, he headed over to the Cheyenne reservation to let Cloud Dancing and the others know how he'd fared, and to catch up on any news that he'd missed during his absence. They were having a fairly uneventful evening when, out of nowhere, they heard the sound of gunfire. Suddenly, Chivington and his troops appeared and began firing recklessly into the village, not caring that their bullets might kill innocent women and children. Cloud Dancing and the younger tribesmen rushed to arm themselves so they could defend against the army's sudden assault. Meanwhile, Sully took charge of gathering the women, children and older men who hadn't already been felled by the chaotic gunfire, and getting them to a safe place. Then he hastened back to the heart of the combat, hoping to convince Chivington to rethink his unprovoked attack on this peaceful Cheyenne reservation. When Sully returned to the fray, he saw an unarmed Chief Black Kettle attempting to reason with the troops, trying to reassure them that his people were no threat to the army or to the folks of Colorado Springs. But Chivington and his men couldn't understand the Chief, and even if they could have, Sully doubted whether it would've made any difference. Before he could reach Black Kettle and get him to safety, Sully heard a shot ring out and saw the Chief grab his neck, falling to the ground. Unconcerned for himself by this point, Sully rushed to the Chief's aid, and managed to drag him into a tepee a few feet away.

Seeing their leader shot before their eyes emboldened the Cheyenne warriors, and they succeeded in warding off the army combatants. As soon as Chivington and his men disappeared into the night, the braves came running toward Sully and Black Kettle, anxious to check on the Chief. Blood was spurting from the wound in his neck, leading Sully to fear the worst. Cloud Dancing was able to slow the bleeding, but, by that time, Black Kettle's breathing was becoming labored. The medicine man looked helplessly at Sully, his eyes full of panic.

"The bullet is still lodged in Black Kettle's neck," he said in Cheyenne. "But I have neither the instruments nor the expertise to remove it. One wrong move could kill him."

Sully tried to stay calm as he racked his brain for a solution. "We need a doctor ...," he thought. He was so frantic to save the Chief's life that he nearly overlooked the most obvious answer.

"Of course ... Dr. Mike!" he exclaimed.

Cloud Dancing looked at his white brother quizzically. Sully hastily reminded his friend that Dr. Mike was the white woman who they'd helped to find her son a few weeks ago. Apparently, Black Kettle had already filled the medicine man in on the fact that she was a doctor from back East.

"But will this white doctor treat a Cheyenne man?" Cloud Dancing asked doubtfully. Colorado Springs had never had a doctor before Dr. Mike, and it was common knowledge that doctors in the closest big cities, Denver and Fort Collins, would not treat Indians.

Sully recalled the times that the Lady Doctor had surprised him with her kindness, her courage, and her willingness to help those in need.

"Sure she will," he answered, with as much confidence as he could muster.

Cloud Dancing raised his eyebrows skeptically, but there was no time for argument. They set off for Sully's homestead as fast as the one remaining horse -- and their running legs -- could carry them.

------------------------

It was well past midnight by the time they reached the homestead. The house was dark and still, a sure sign that the occupants were fast asleep. Normally, Sully would've felt guilty about disturbing a sleeping household at this late hour, but Chief Black Kettle's life hung in the balance. At this point, he was barely breathing, and slipping in and out of consciousness. Sully ran up the front stoop and hammered on the front door with enough force to wake the dead.

"Who is it?" asked Dr. Mike a second later, sounding slightly guarded.

"It's Sully ... open up!" he yelled in reply.

Without hesitation, she opened the door. Again, Sully had to admire her bravery and selflessness. He didn't know a single other woman in the town who would've let him into her home in the dead of night, especially when he'd been savagely beating down her door. But Dr. Mike could tell from the sound of his voice that he was in trouble, and she hastened to help him without a second thought.

Sully rushed into the house with Cloud Dancing, Lean Bear, and, of course, the injured Chief Black Kettle, in tow. Dr. Mike didn't even balk when she spotted Sully's Indian companions. Instead, her eyes went straight to the Chief, assessing his injuries as the doctor in her took over. Sully explained that Black Kettle had been shot during Colonel Chivington's covert attack on the Cheyenne village. She ordered them to put the Chief on the dining table, and set off trying to save his life.

She explained that a bullet was lodged in Black Kettle's neck, and that the swelling from the injury was obstructing his breathing. Working as if by instinct, she grabbed an instrument resembling a small knife from her medical bag, and made to cut the Chief's throat. Cloud Dancing immediately leaped into action, grabbing her arm.

Sully quickly reassured him in Cheyenne that she didn't mean to harm Black Kettle, only to make it possible for him to breathe more easily. Cloud Dancing relented.

"Ya better know what you're doing," Sully warned.

"It's called a tracheotomy," Dr. Mike responded self-assuredly. In the dim light from the lone lamp in the room, she cut a small slit in Black Kettle's throat. Then, she pulled a feather from Sully's necklace, cut off both ends, and placed it in the cut she had made in the Chief's neck. Within a few seconds, his breathing seemed to become more relaxed and even.

She then turned to removing the bullet. Sully marvelled and now nimbly her hands moved as she performed the delicate task. In the blink of an eye, she'd extracted the bullet from the Chief's neck, and they all heaved a collective sigh of relief. She carefully closed the bullet wound with a few tiny stitches, and bandaged the area. As she cleaned and put away her instruments, she explained that stitching up the cut in Black Kettle's throat would have to wait until morning, after the swelling had gone down.

A short time later, Dr. Mike and Sully sat wearily at the dining table, listening to an early winter rainstorm rage outside. Matthew and Colleen had gone back to sleep, and Brian sat quietly on his bed, calmly stroking Wolf's furry coat. Black Kettle was resting peacefully, flanked by Cloud Dancing and Lean Bear. Although Dr. Mike and Sully were both exhausted, the past few hours of excitement had made sleep impossible; and besides, the doctor had said that she needed to stay awake to check on the Chief's progress during the night. So, for the first time since they'd met, the Lady Doctor and the mountain man sat and talked; _really _talked.

He warned her that Chivington's men would most likely come looking for Black Kettle in the morning, when they realized that the Chief's body wasn't at the reservation.

"How did you get so involved?" she inquired, her eyes full of concern and a bit of curiosity. Sully was sure she was wondering how a white man from Colorado Springs had become so close to the Cheyenne and their cause, especially since the rest of the townsfolk hated, or at least mistrusted, the Indians.

He wasn't ready to tell her about Abigail and Hannah. About how, after they'd died, he'd run away and enlisted in the army, trying to escape his pain. About how, after the war, he'd wandered around in the woods outside of Colorado Springs, barely eating or sleeping, plagued by agonizing headaches, and praying for death to claim him. And about how Cloud Dancing and the rest of the tribe had found him, nursed him back to health, and restored his will to live.

Instead, he searched for another way to make her understand.

"Ya see that wolf over there?" Sully asked, gesturing towards Wolf. "Some people think it's evil. But it's been a friend to me, just like the Indians." He went on to describe that when Whites had first come to this territory thirty years ago, there had been thousands of wolves, but that, thanks to a government bounty, their numbers had fallen to just a few hundred.

"The way I see it, the same thing's happened to the Indians," he opined.

"We can hide Chief Black Kettle in the barn," Dr. Mike offered, those simple words reflecting her understanding and compassion for the plight of the Cheyenne.

"Thank you," Sully replied.

For an instant, they looked at one another, feeling the unspoken connection between them. Sully had never had another white person, much less a woman, comprehend his bond with the Indians; and accept it as unquestioningly as Dr. Mike did. Her quiet empathy touched him, as did her willingness to put herself and her family at risk to help those in distress. For the next few hours, they sat in comfortable silence, finding solace in each other's closeness. Later, there would be time for him to ponder the significance of it all; but, for now, he gratefully accepted these moments for what they were.

------------------------

By sun-up the following morning, they'd already moved a still-weak Black Kettle into the barn behind the homestead. Dr. Mike cautioned that the Chief couldn't be moved for another day or so without aggravating his condition. As she and the boys made to return to the house, she turned back and held Sully's gaze with hers, the caring look in her eyes speaking volumes without words. Struck dumb by the intensity of her stare, he could only silently return it. It was obvious that she had a lot on her mind, and for a second, it appeared as though she was about to say something. Then, as if realizing that she and Sully weren't alone, she bit her tongue and guided Matthew and Brian out of the barn.

As Sully had predicted, a group of soldiers stopped by the homestead a few hours later. He watched anxiously through a hole in the barn wall as Dr. Mike let them in to search the house. At first, it seemed as though they might be content to investigate just the main quarters, but then one of the troops suggested that they search the barn as well. Sully immediately sprung into action. He signaled to Cloud Dancing and Lean Bear to carry Black Kettle into the woods behind the barn, leaving the doors locked in order to buy them some time. When he was sure that the tribesmen were safely hidden in the bushes, Sully threw his tomahawk at the rope that held the barn doors shut, allowing the troops to enter as he soundlessly slipped out the rear door to join his friends. The soldiers seemed to sense a foreign presence nearby, but, unable to find any sign of the Indians, they gave up and went on their way. As soon as it was all clear, Sully and the braves returned Black Kettle to the barn to continue recovering, certain that the troops wouldn't return, at least in the near future.

------------------------

By the next morning, the Chief had regained enough strength to survive the trek back to the reservation. Matthew willingly gave the Indians one of his family's horses for the return trip, even though he knew there was a good chance he'd never get it back.

Oblivious to how touchy the subject was, Brian asked Sully why he wasn't riding back to the reservation with the three braves. Young children always seemed to have a knack for asking the questions that grown-folks wanted the answers to, but were too "polite" to ask.

For a split second, Sully thought of putting the boy off with a little white lie, but he realized that any excuse he came up with would probably just sound ridiculous and unconvincing. So he opted for the truth, telling Brian that he'd always been afraid of horses.

"Ev'rybody's got sumthin' they're afraid of," Sully said, somewhat defensively.

Feeling like a teenage boy who'd just failed miserably at trying to impress a girl, he glanced over at Dr. Mike and caught the surprised look she gave him. She probably never would've guessed that a "mountain man" like him -- who had a wolf for a pet -- would be afraid of any animal, least of all a tame horse! Sully returned her gaze with a deliberate stare of his own, letting the double-meaning of his words sink in. She blushed and quickly averted her eyes, but it was obvious from the look on her face that she'd caught on. He might have been scared of horses, but it was crystal-clear to Sully that Dr. Mike was a bit afraid of _him_; and not because he wore buckskins and lived in the woods! She was frightened by the palpable connection between them; uncertain about what it meant or where it would lead. He tried his best not to let on that her feelings were entirely mutual. The impassive expression on his face hid the thoughts churning around inside him, and his ongoing confusion as to why he cared so much about this woman's opinion of him.

Thankfully, Chief Black Kettle interrupted the moment. His throat was not yet healed enough for him to talk, so he signaled to the doctor.

Sully translated: "Chief Black Kettle just gave you your Cheyenne name ... Medicine Woman."

Dr. Mike couldn't hide a little flush of pleasure at the Chief's compliment; and Sully could tell that she was deeply moved by Black Kettle's gesture. She deserved it, in Sully's opinion. Over the last couple of days, she'd proven herself to be not only a competent doctor, but also a true healer, caringly reaching out to people that other folks would've heartlessly turned away without thinking twice.

Even as the Cheyenne braves rode away from the homestead, she was still concerned for their well-being.

"What'll he do now?" she asked, referring to the Chief.

"What he never wanted to do: Fight," Sully replied, his gritted teeth revealing his frustration.

For a minute, he hovered uncertainly among Dr. Mike and the kids. There was no longer any reason for him to stick around, but it seemed as though none of them was ready for him to leave just yet. Something about being with this makeshift family made Sully feel at peace; like he somehow "belonged." He hadn't felt that way since before Abigail and baby Hannah had died. From that time on, he'd been a loner, and had gotten used to never having to depend on anyone or having anyone depend on him. So, to be honest, he was a bit fearful of how much he'd come to care for the Quinn/Cooper clan, and for the Lady Doctor in particular.

Sully reluctantly tore himself away from the fold before he said or did something he wasn't ready for, and began to walk back into the forest. Just before he stepped out of sight, he stole a quick glance back at the homestead. Dr. Mike and the kids were still standing out front, observing his departure with a hint of sadness in their eyes; and it suddenly occurred to him how much he would miss them. Putting that unsettling thought aside for the time being, he turned and continued the journey back to his home in the woods.

------------------------

Sully didn't see Dr. Mike or the kids for several weeks after that. The winter had been unusually harsh, and what little time he'd spent away from the cave that was his home during the colder months, he'd spent at the nearby Cheyenne reservation.

But the Lady Doctor and her family were never far from Sully's mind. He would walk by the homestead every so often, under cover of night, just to check up on them. He was sure that they'd never seen him; and that, as far as they were concerned, he'd simply disappeared into the winter like a hibernating bear. But, despite the warning bells in his head, he'd remained close by, in the shadows, watching over them. He tried in vain to convince himself that he'd simply been acting out of pity for the recently-orphaned Cooper children, but he knew deep-down that there was more to it than that. He was just unwilling -- or unable -- to consider the implications, for fear of the emotions they'd uncover.

Throughout the frigid winter weeks, Sully thought a lot about the first time he and Dr. Mike had visited his homestead, and about the last time they had seen each other; when Chief Black Kettle had given her the Cheyenne name "Medicine Woman." For some strange reason, her hurt expression when Sully had criticized her meager doctor's shingle on that first visit, continued to bother him. He felt a bit guilty about how he'd treated her, especially now that he knew that there was so much more to her beneath the surface of her prim Boston exterior.

After mulling things over for quite awhile, Sully finally came up with an idea about how he could set things right. He decided to make the Lady Doctor a new shingle featuring both her professional and Cheyenne names; a shingle large enough to match her big heart and immense spirit. Christmas was fast approaching, and he thought it would make a fitting present: Personal enough to show that he'd put some thought into it, but not so much so that he'd give her the wrong idea and scare her off. As he set to work hand-carving the plaque, he thought of other gifts for the kids. He planned to stop by the homestead on Christmas Eve night to drop everything off.

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However, when Christmas Eve arrived, it seemed as though Mother Nature had other ideas. That evening, a heavy snowstorm blew through Colorado Springs, covering everything for miles in feet of thick, white powder. As the sunset heralded the end of yet another chilly day, Sully sat shivering in front of the campfire in his cave, eyeballing his presents for Dr. Mike and the children: A wolf-pup for Brian, who adored animals; a pocket-knife for Matthew; a hair comb for Colleen that Sully had hand-made himself; and, of course, the new shingle for Dr. Mike.

As blinding sheets of snow continued to blow past the entrance to the cave, he briefly considered foregoing his intended trip over to the homestead. In this terrible weather, and with only his blanket to protect him from the elements, he'd be lucky to get there without freezing to death. In all honesty, though, Sully knew that the only way he wouldn't make the trek would be if he was incapable of walking. On this night when families came together, he felt the need to be with Dr. Mike and the kids. Whether he liked it or not, he'd come to think of them as the closest thing he had to family besides the Cheyenne; and the tribe didn't celebrate Christmas. So he tucked his gifts securely beneath his blanket-coat, and with a deep, fortifying breath, he set out into the white abyss.

---------------------------

It only took Sully and Wolf about half-an-hour to reach the homestead, which was fairly remarkable considering that the dense snow had made it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of him. Even from a distance, he could spot a roaring fire going in the fireplace; and there were candles and lamps burning all around the house, making it seem like the whole place was aglow. The enticing smells of Christmas Eve Dinner wafted through the cold air, making him strangely nostalgic. Although he hadn't shown his face in what seemed like an eternity, somehow he knew he would nonetheless be welcomed by Dr. Mike and the children. Still, he hesitated for a split second before knocking on the front door.

When Dr. Mike opened the door to greet him, Sully got so awestruck that he could barely grunt out a "hello." He'd always found her beautiful, but tonight, she was radiant. She'd left her gorgeous long brown hair out, and it cascaded down her back like a silken curtain. The flickering light from the fire behind her glinted off the coppery strands, and he fought the sudden urge to reach out and touch the shining mass of curls. She looked like one of those Christmas angels that people liked to put on top of their trees at this time of year.

Sully couldn't imagine what he must have looked like to her: Probably a cross between a snowman and some sort of wild animal. In fact, he was covered in so many layers of clothing that, at first, he doubted that she even knew it was him. But as soon as she saw his face, she gave him a shy but sincere smile, and welcomed him in. She seemed genuinely glad to see him, and it suddenly hit him how much he'd missed her during the time he'd been away. He could tell from the look in her eyes that she felt the same way, even though neither one of them would admit it to each other.

As Sully moved gratefully towards the blazing fire, he pulled the pup from underneath his coat and handed it to Brian, wishing him a Merry Christmas. The look of pure joy on Brian's face was one that Sully would never forget. Brian eagerly reached out and enfolded his new pet in a warm embrace, and, as Sully had expected, the boy immediately began bonding with the tiny animal. Colleen and Matthew were equally gracious in accepting their gifts, although Sully thought that they were mostly surprised that he'd gotten them anything at all to begin with. Then, he reached into the back of his coat and pulled out Dr. Mike's present. It was a large, hand-carved wooden shingle that read: "M. Quinn M.D. - Medicine Woman."

"Now _that's_ a shingle," Sully said with a smile. He was hoping she'd realize that he was trying to make up for his unenthusiastic reaction the first time she'd shown him her old shingle. The tinge of recognition in her eyes told him that she appreciated the deeper meaning behind his gift.

"It certainly is," she replied, her voice slightly husky with emotion. As she thanked him for her present, it was apparent from the tone of her voice that she was touched, which made him feel warm inside despite his icy, wet clothing.

Dr. Mike gazed coyly at Sully, her eyes full of gratitude and a glimmer of something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on. At that moment, she looked so stunning that he felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, and he could only manage to murmur something that he hoped sounded like "you're welcome."

Sully decided that it was probably wise to leave before he made an even bigger fool out of himself than he already had. As it was, he could barely form an intelligent sentence in Dr. Mike's presence. So, after a moment of hesitation, he uttered his final Christmas greetings and reluctantly moved towards the front door. Just like the last time he'd been at the homestead, he felt like there was an invisible rope pulling him back, compelling him to linger. And it seemed as though Dr. Mike and the kids weren't ready for him to leave, either.

"Wait. Please stay ... eat with us?" she asked, her eyes willing Sully to remain.

Even if he'd wanted to go, there was no way he could have refused her.

"I'd like that," he earnestly responded. He was sure that the expression on his face revealed a range of emotions that he was far from ready to put into words; like just how glad he was that Dr. Mike wanted him to share Christmas Eve dinner with her family.

As Sully removed his over-clothes and went to sit at the dining table, he couldn't help but notice that the kids had arranged themselves so that he was sitting next to the Lady Doctor. He stifled a knowing smile, laughing to himself at the innocent wisdom of children. They so often saw what adults were too self-conscious or too afraid to acknowledge.

Sully spent the rest of dinner as if in the most pleasant of dreams; scared to pinch himself for fear that it would turn out to be so. It felt so right to be with the Quinn-Cooper family. It was never forced or awkward; and in fact, it seemed as though he'd been part of the family for years. Truth be told, he'd never felt this content even when Abigail had been alive. Loren's disapproval had always been a looming cloud over their marriage, and the strain had been especially severe during the holidays. When he and Abby had sat down by themselves for Christmas dinner, her hurt and regret at not being able to share the festivities with her parents, had been plain as day.

On the other hand, dinner with Dr. Mike and the children was an entirely heartwarming occasion, filling a gap in Sully that he hadn't even realized was missing. As he enjoyed their company, along with the best meal he'd eaten in years, he had the oddest sensation of homecoming, of being anchored instead of drifting aimlessly. It was a feeling that was as gratifying as it was frightening, because he knew that now that he'd discovered it, he'd never want to let it go.

Sitting next to the doctor, Sully was acutely aware of the warmth emanating from her body, and the sweet scent of her floral perfume. Actually, being this near to her unnerved him so much that he was glad for the distraction when Brian started bombarding him with questions about how he'd found the boy's new puppy, what to feed it, and how to care for it. They all listened closely, enraptured as Sully described how "Pup" (as Brian had named him) had been the runt of a litter of wolf cubs that he'd come across during his final early-winter hunting trip. The tiny creature had been much smaller and weaker than its siblings, and surely would've died of starvation or from the cold if Sully hadn't taken the cub under his wing. For three weeks, Sully had painstaking fed Pup small amounts of milk and food; and now, Pup was so healthy and strong that you could never tell that he'd had such a rough start.

The remainder of the evening flew by all too quickly. The kids sang carols, and then they watched Brian play with Pup until he wore himself and his new friend out. Matthew and Colleen soon followed suit and headed off to bed. Dr. Mike and Sully chatted quietly for a bit after that, as she entertained him with stories of what Boston had been like at Christmastime. He was happy to let her do most of the talking; he enjoyed the sound of her voice, and besides, he didn't have much to add. His parents had both died by the time he'd turned ten, and he remembered precious little about his holiday celebrations before that. Besides, Sully didn't think that Dr. Mike really wanted to hear about how he'd spent last Christmas alone in a cold, damp cave, enjoying a paltry dinner of salted, dried beef and beans.

By now, the blizzard was long gone, leaving a scenic white landscape in its wake. And when the clock chimed half-past eleven, Sully knew it was time for him to be going.

"I guess I'd best be gettin' on home," he said.

Dr. Mike cast a concerned glance at the frosty conditions outside. Sully was sure she was wondering where "home" was for him, and whether he'd be safe there from the harsh weather. But she didn't question his decision to leave, though he did notice a brief pang of disappointment flash across her face. Despite their unwillingness to part ways, they both knew that he couldn't stay at the homestead forever. It had been difficult enough for the doctor to fit in with the town without them gossiping about his spending the night at her house, even with the kids present. And besides, they both realized that his staying over and waking up on Christmas morning with the family, would have been a big step that neither one of them was quite ready to take yet.

So, with a barely-suppressed sigh of resignation, Sully made his way to the front door for the second time that night. He stood in the doorway for a minute, feeling the stark contrast between the welcoming warmth of the house and its occupants; and the icy weather and solitude that awaited him outside.

"Good night, Dr. Mike. Merry Christmas." It was the first time that he'd called her "Dr. Mike," and she seemed pleasantly surprised by it. After this evening, they were undoubtedly well on their way to becoming friends, and Sully felt close enough to her to use the affectionate nickname.

"Good night, Sully," she whispered in reply. His name sounded almost like a caress coming off her tongue.

Right then, Sully knew that this wouldn't be the last Christmas he'd spend with the Lady Doctor from Boston and her new family. For a split second, he caught a glimpse into the future, seeing them sharing many more holidays together with the Cooper children, and perhaps, also with a child of their own. Cloud Dancing would probably say that this was the Spirits trying to send him a message. While it was still a bit too daunting for Sully to think in such specific terms, he had a deep-seated certainty that the Quinn-Cooper family would become a very important part of his life in some form or fashion. The thought comforted him as he turned and walked away from the homestead, disappearing into the night.

**The End**


End file.
